@IAVA #VetsRising

NEW YORK, NY (December 2, 2016) – Last night, at a rally in Ohio, President-elect Trump announced retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as his choice for Secretary of Defense. Following is a statement from IAVA Founder and CEO, Paul Rieckhoff: “Retired Marine General James Mattis is revered by many in our generation and as we continue to face threats like ISIS, IAVA looks forward to having a leader at the Pentagon who served alongside us in our most recent wars. We expect him to always put troops, their families and transitioning veterans first. “We hope a former military leader like General Mattis will be a strong voice in defending the New GI Bill as a critical recruiting tool. It is also imperative to our community that General Mattis, or any Secretary of Defense, work closely with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The current Administration has struggled to solve issues th...